Are You Tired?
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Introduction: Derek Redmond was a British sprinter and was in the semifinals for the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona. As the gun sounds and the sprinters take off Derek looked great, and then halfway through the race, tragedy strikes. Derek tears his hamstring! he goes down in agonizing pain and with tears in his eyes he begins to get back up and hop toward the finish line. It’s at this point his father comes down from the stands to the track and puts his arms around Derek. As he brushes off the security trying to get him to leave his son alone Derek’s father continued to help Derek reach the finish line. The applause for this action was louder than for the actual sprinters who finished the race.
We have a father in heaven that is watching us from on high. He see’s when we fall and he is there to help us reach the finish line.
There is a theme that I have seen and heard and that is why I have decided to preach from this specific passage again. The theme is that You Are Tired. Ministry is hard work. Keeping the programs running is hard work. Making sure everything that needs to be done gets tiring and you begin to feel overwhelmed. I get it, but so does God. There are going to be times when you feel just like Derek, you are broken, you are hurt, you want to keep going but your body says no way. You want to stay on track but your mind is worn out. You may feel spiritually empty and you don’t think you can do it anymore.
I want to tell you today that you can.
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:28-
Transition: As you look at yourself today, in light of the scriptures, ask yourself this question: Am I too tired to serve? Maybe your physically tired, mentally drained, or spiritually empty. God has the answer for you here today.
There are 3 observations we will make today that will encourage you as you seek the spiritual strength to persevere. The first one is this:
A Call to Remember- Vs 28-29
Who is our God?
What has He done?
Why would remembering who He is give us strength to continue?
Illustration: Basic training ran the 2 mile in 19:59 seconds. One second under the alloted time. For the next six weeks we had drill instructors yelling at us as we wanted to quit. One more step, One more step, don’t stop, don’t give up, don’t quit they would yell. They were constantly motivating us to keep moving. At the end of basic training we ran the two mile again and I finished in 15:35. The fastest I have ever ran it! When I think about this event in my life, it isn’t the time that really matters it is the fact that I did something I didn’t think I was capable of doing. It motivates me to know that when I have hit what I perceive as my limits, I know I can go farther. To that end, remembering who God is and knowing that our strength is found in Him will give us the determination to get up and keep going, even when we don’t think we can.
In Paul says “my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness”.
Transition: If we have a call to remember where our strength comes from, then we also have:
A Call to Repentance- Vs 30-31a
Everyone is going to fall short.
It’s not just the youth, it’s not just the young. Everyone has some sin that they are carrying around with them.
Sin is like carrying a heavy weight around with you. It drags you down, it consumes all your energy, it takes your focus off of God and you start to wear down.
Recall what they were carrying around with them…Idols.
says “ therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
what is zapping all your energy
what are you doing that replaces your availability to serve in your church?
Remember vs 29 says he gives power to the weak and increases strength. I call this a blessing.
Why would he bless you if you are not willing to repent of your sin and trust Him.
Those who wait on the Lord. Repentance is the first step, patience is the next and this brings trust that in his time prayers will be answered, knowledge will be given, doors will open.
But this does not mean to stand still and do nothing. The word literally means “hope”. Those whose hope is in the Lord! Where is your hope?
Is it in the cup of coffee in the morning to get you going? Is it the red bull at lunch to get you through the afternoon?
No our hope is in the Lord who will renew our strength day by day.
Be Comforted 1. God Is Greater than Our Circumstances (Isa. 40:1–31)
The word “renew” means “to exchange,” as taking off old clothes and putting on new.
Put your hope in the lord, repent and release those chains and those weights that you’ve been carrying around for so long and see just how much strength you have!
Transition: So we have a call to remember, and a call to repent. The last observation we have is:
A Call to Restoration
What I think about when I hear the words “mount up”-
What I think about when I hear the words “mount up”-
A call to battle
A call to dig deep
A call to finish a task
mount up with wings like eagles-
mount up with wings like eagles-
“They shall put forth fresh feathers as eagles” are said to renovate themselves; the parallel clause, “renew their strength,” confirms this. The eagle was thought to moult and renew his feathers, and with them his strength, in old age
They shall put forth fresh feathers as eagles” are said to renovate themselves; the parallel clause, “renew their strength,” confirms this. The eagle was thought to moult and renew his feathers, and with them his strength, in old age
c. As we wait before Him, God enables us to soar when there is a crisis, to run when the challenges are many, and to walk faithfully in the day-by-day demands of life.
i. It is much harder to walk in the ordinary pressures of life than to fly like the eagle in a time of crisis.
d. Know that your strength, your faith will be renewed daily when you put him at the forefront of your life
Know that your strength, your faith will be renewed daily when you put him at the forefront of your life
e. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Comforted (p. 112). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
